Sheet separator for printing presses



Dec. 11, 1945. B. w. DALTON SHEET SEPARATOR FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Aug. 9, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Dec. 11, 1945.

B w. DALTON SHEET SEPARATOR FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Aug. 9, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. BENJAM/N W. DAL TOA) Patented Dec. 11, 1945 SHEET SEPARATOR FOR PRINTING PRESSES Benjamin W. Dalton, Detroit, Mich.

Application August 9, 1944, Serial N 0. 548,707

3 Claims.

My invention relates to printing presses, particularly the presses of the vertical type, in which the stock is transferred, sheet by sheet, from what is known as a feeder table to a so called transfer table, to be picked up by the impression cylinder of the press for succeeding operations in the process of printing.

My purpose is to provide a sheet separator which would allow only one sheet at a time to be picked up for said transfer thus preventing a possible damage to the printing plates being a part of the press, should more than one sheet be pressed against the plates by the above said impression cylinder.

Another purpose of my invention is to provide a sheet separator of simple design and construction, light and compact and one that could be installed on the printing presses now in use without the need of an structural changes therein. Another object of my invention was to construct a sheet separator which could be used equally well on other types of presses, and especially on presses of similar basic construction.

I shall now describe my sheet separator with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top view of the feeder table of the printing press of the vertical type, the view disclosing the location of my sheet separators with respect to said table;

Fi 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of a feeder table supporting a pile of stock and shows one of my sheet separators in place for operation;

Fig. 3 shows the side view of what is the right hand separator looking from the feeder table towards the main body of the press;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a modified separator;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the separator shown in Fig. 3'.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, perspective view of my right-hand separator;

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of my separator with reference to a pile of printing stock;

Fig. 8 is the same front elevation of my separator with parts shown in different operative positions.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the several views.

My separators are used in conjunction with pneumatic means of picking up single sheets of stock. In practice a pile of stock II is placed on the feeder table ID, the table being supported by a rack [2. Single sheets of stock are picked up by suction shoes located in holders [4, the latsimilar parts ter being mounted on a transverse frame l3, called pneumatic separator frame. Flexible tubes l5; connecting suction shoe holders with a hol- 10w rod 44, area part of a pneumatic tube system for development of a suction needed to pick up sheets of stock. The separator frame is actuated by rocker arms [6. When the press is in operation, the rocker arms bring the pneumatic separator frame above the pile of stock on the feeder table, lower the frame until the suction shoes rest on the top sheet of the stock, then swing the separator frame with a sheet of stock held by said suction shoes towards the transfer table for deposit of the sheet thereon. To facilitate the removal of separate sheets air conducted by tubes l8, fractionally shown in the drawings, is released by jets I! to fiuff the pile.

It is close to these jets that my sheet separators are mounted on feeder table guides 2|. In Figs. 1 and 2, these separators, indicated generally by numeral 28, are shown in their relative size with respect to the feeder table. One of said separators as shown in small size in Fig, 1, is

shown enlarged in Fig. 5. The operation, when my sheet separators are in position, is in general, as follows:

Each of my separators includes a flexible finger 32, which, normally, rests on the top sheet of the pile of stock. As the sheet is to be lifted up, the finger swings upwardly. When the sheet is being lifted up, the finger swings back in place to hold down the sheets immediately below.

It will be understood that there are two separators in each press, the right hand separator and the left hand separator, their working elements being respectively reversed. For the best view of the separator I shall refer here to Fig. 5. As shown there, the separator includes a mounting bracket, which in plan view has the appearance of a dipper, having a handle 23, bottom 25, and two walls 22 and 24, the first of them being inclined. The side elevation of the bracket as i1- lustrated in Fig. 3, shows that said handle 23 and the inclined wall 22, are narrower than bottom member 25. Pivotally affixed to handle 23 by means of a bolt 35 is a lever 36 which with respect to the dipper formation disclosed in Fig. 5, has the appearance of a cover for said dipper. Lever 36 is L-shaped and includes a shorter arm 3'! disposed outside of, and parallel with wall 24. A slot 21 in said wall allows the main arm of lever 36 to be swung downwardly. Pivotally mounted on the outer face of wall 24 by means of a .bolt 28, is a substantiall V-shaped rocker 29. One wing, 30, of the rocker passes below lever "36, and is bent backwardly into a lug 30a extending parallel to member 25. A coiled spring 31, affixed to the extremity of said lug 30a, connects the latter with a tab 26, integrally connected to wall 24, as shown in Fig. 5. A stop [9, made by bending the respective part of the bracket outwardly, limits the upward travel of wing 30. The other wing of the rocker supports a flexible finger 32. The finger is made of sheet metal and includes a narrow flange 40 set at right angle to its main body which is held from below by two pins 4|. Said finger is held in place against the face of rocker 29 by means of a screw 34, the head of which bears against said flange 40. When the screw is loosened, the finger may .be shifted outwardly or inwardly for a longer or shorter reach as the case might be.

In describing the action of my separators, I shall refer, in the main, to one separator as their respective functions are identical, Each separator is mounted by means of screw 39 on the respective feeder table guide 2|. This is illustrated in Fig, 2 with respect. to what is the left hand separator when seen inl the direction of the transfer table of the press. For details of construction of one separator and its function, I shall refer mostly to the right hand separator shown in Figs. to 8. Fig. 5, which is the top view of the right hand separator, shows the relative position of said separator to the pile of stock II. It will be seen that arm 31 of lever 36 extends inwardly towards the center line of the press and that of the stock pile, and thus into the path of the separator frame 13, as it comes down on its way to pick up a sheet of stock. This with respect to the left hand separator, is shown in Fig. 2, wherein separator frame I3 is shown slightly spaced from lever 3%. Finger 32 is disposed in the same direction as arm 31 as shown in Figs. 5 to 8, and normally, under tension of spring 3! acting upon lug 30a, bears from top against the margin of the uppermost sheet of stock I i as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. When the separator frame swings down upon said stock to allow suction shoes to pick up the top sheet of the edge of the sheet which is being lifted. This does not interfere in any manner with the lifting of said sheet, but if more than one sheet is being lifted, that is, if one or more sheets are being lifted with the top one by adhesion, the blow against the edges of the sheets by said finger causes their separation and permits the finger to flit in between the top sheet and the following sheets and to clamp them down against the top of the pile.

By way of an eXplanationI wish to state at this point that bracket 42 in Fig. 4, is substantially identical with the bracket shown in other figures, except that the tab 43 analogous to tab 26 in .other figures, for attachment of spring 3|, is at a lower level. Other differences, if any, are of no importance,

It will be seen that some changes may be made in the construction of my sheet separators without deviating from the inventive principle shown herein.

What I therefore wish to claim is as follows:

1. In a printing press of the kind described,

7 in combination with the separator frame thereof,

a sheet separator on each side of the stock, each separator comprising, a mounting bracket, a pivflip against the edge of stock being so lifted, for

separation of sheets carried by adhesion with said top sheet.

2. In a printing press of the kind described,

in combination with the separatorframe thereof,

an auxiliary sheet separator including a bracket for mounting the separator in a position adjacent the topof the stock, a rocker mounted on the bracket, a flexible finger afiixed to said rocker, spring means causing the finger to clamp the stock from above, means responsive to the movement of the separator frame to cause the finger to swing upwardly, allowing the lifting of the stock by means carried by the'separator frame, said spring in turn causing the finger to strike against the edge of the stock being lifted to strike down sheets carried by adhesion as said finger descends downwardly to clamp the stock from above.

3. In a printing press of the kind described, in combination with the stock feeder table and a separator frame made to swing down upon said stock, an auxiliary sheet separator including a bracket for its mounting, adjacent the topof the stock, a rocker including an adjustably flexible finger adaptedto normally clamp down the stock, means responsive to the movement of the separator frame and acting upon the rocker to cause the finger to swing upwardly to allow removal of stock by means carried on said separator frame, and spring means to cause the finger in turn to revert to its normal position and to strike on its way down against the edge of stock being lifted and to flit in between the top sheet of stock so lifted and any otherlsheet rising by adhesion.

BENJAMIN W. DALTON. 

